Had to roll up my sleeves a little for this one...
I did consider going in a "rapids" direction in the river, dividing the neat figurations into even smaller divisions (think 4/4 in rolling sixteenths), but having other musicians curse one's name is not helpful to getting your music out. Been there, done that. I was Captain Wildchild Composer in my twenties, but the thing is, if you are a concert-level pianist but you can't be everywhere, you have limited your music's reach. Captain Obvious came to the rescue of Captain Wildchild by the time I hit my thirties. I digress. Anyway, I came in from work and settled into a nicely flowing 12/8 mode ...
What you can't quite hear (yet) is me singing in my head and noting where my take on the chords and melody diverges from H.T. Burleigh's take, although if you know Burleigh's "Deep River," you could very well guess at the changes. I have not challenged Mr. Burleigh's chords or melody direction over much; only where necessary to tell the slightly different story I am seeking to tell. There are more actors in my arrangement. The human soul is one, striving for freedom. The river itself is a force, surging onward and providing resistance against which the soul must strive. God Himself -- because the song says "Deep river, Lord -- I want to cross over into campground" -- is an actor, bringing change into the circumstance when His presence is acknowledged and help is sought. Those the soul is talking to -- "Oh, don't you want to go to that gospel feast, that promised land, where all is peace?" are there to be left behind as the soul leaves those who will NOT strive behind in the shallows, and presses forward into the most intense part of the struggle -- and to victory, and the freedom and peace being sought.
The latter perspective is not a nod to "rugged individualism." It is an acknowledgement of both historical and spiritual fact. Those enslaved ancestors of mine who struck out for freedom risked the loss of everything, including their life ... and, being a true Christian and standing against evil in the world can cost the same thing. One often has to seek the prize alone -- and once it is obtained, risk it all AGAIN to reach back for others who are ready to follow. That last part is outside the scope of the song, however. We end at the victory in this arrangement!
On to scoring tomorrow, in which I will probably simplify this a bit more ... probably the widest semi-stride piano bass lines will have to go, and that big G flat break with all the octaves has to be handled thoughtfully...